Mount Athos, a Journey of Self-Discovery

This book is about the life lessons learned and experienced by the author during a pilgrimage to Mount Athos in Greece, one of the oldest surviving monastic communities in the world; an exclusive domain of monks and other holy men; a place molded in tradition, history, legend, and miracles. Known as the Holy Mountain, it remains fundamentally unchanged since the eighth century. The author visits a number of monasteries and learns from the monks, hermits, and other people he meets about the historical differences between the Christian religion in the East and West, the symbolism of the faith, the influence of paganism on Christianity, and the Byzantine Empire's art and iconography. Most importantly, immersed in this environment, he is confronted with some of the fundamental questions that we deal with on our lives' journeys over and over again. He is also introduced to the mystic side of an unfamiliar spiritual practice called "hesychia," a technique combining concentration with inward tranquility. The book merges elements of research, memoir, art, history, philosophy, and spirituality into a single story. What emerges is a fascinating and insightful account of a world that is entirely new to many Western readers.